National Castings Kick Off For Elite Model Look 2016

Castings have kicked off for Elite Model Look 2016! Hundreds have attended, hoping to catch the eye of judges and make the selection. We caught up with the organisers to find out how the castings have been going so far, starting with Spain, Guadeloupe, Switzerland and Austria.

Vienna, Austria

The Elite Model Look competition reached a milestone in Austria. "It is the 10th Edition, which is a big anniversary for us," organiser Alison Thomas told us. "We have some new partners including the Art History Museum of Vienna which puts the contest on a whole new level."

Vienna, Austria

In Austria, models Serge Rigvava, Florian Luger and Alem Tihak attended the castings, sat in the jury and have given the contestants tips. "This year, the contestants are very promising," Alison Thomas told us. "We noticed that they all came prepared, you could see they watched the videos from previous years. We are really looking forward to this year, including the Missoni show at our national final!"

Vienna, Austria

During the bootcamp in Austria, the 20 finalists will make a fashion film with up-and-coming director Patrick Domingo. "It is the second year for our Fashion For Tomorrow Project, a platform for young designers, to showcase the 20 best designs at our National Final," Alison Thomas told us. "The winner will get prize money from Missoni as well as an editorial in Look! Magazine."

Baie Mahault, Guadeloupe

Elite Model Look casting returns to Guadeloupe after a few years of having no castings there. "In Antilles-Guyane, we have the chance to discover models like Sigrid Agren or Cora Emmanuel," organiser Valérie Parratte told us. "There is a real potential in these countries because of the so many ethnicities! We are looking for a girl - tall, fresh, beautiful but natural. A girl with a real personality able to seduce the audience with a wink of eye!"

Baie Mahault, Guadeloupe

In the French West Indies, the Elite Model Look competition is organised between three countries p Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guyana. We asked Valerie Parratte how this works logistically: "For the Antilles-Guyane contest, because of the distance between the 3 countries, we don't have the national casting. We have only one casting for each country divided in two parts on the same day. The girls chosen for the second part are then subjected to our final selection which includes the 3 countries Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guyana. We are really excited for all the beautiful surprises and wonderful encounters these castings bring and we really hope we’ll find “the one”!"

Bilbao, Spain

The reaction to the Spanish competition has been very good, both in the press and with the wider public. "People have been looking forward to EML Spain," said co-ordinator Tatiana Osorio. "Hundreds of girls and boys have applied, especially since last year’s winner Maria Almenta was in the Top 15 of World Final, which really motivates people to apply!"

Madrid, Spain

The competition in Spain is calling on plenty of talent from previous years, including Maria Almenta, Markel Gajate, Aitor Candelas, Leire Larraza, Alisa Nekrasova and Caroline Wendelin, all from the 2015 competition; Gala Houlihan from 2014; Alvaro Silveira and Samuel Savage from 2013; and Sam Steele from 2012. "We´re doing castings in three cities for the first time; Valencia, Palma de Mallorca and Salamanca," explained Tatiana Osorio. "We also have a new ambassador, Arnau Marin, a new model with Elite Barcelona - you can follow him on Instagram @arnaumarin."

Geneva, Switzerland

In Switzerland, there have been two castings in Zürich, one in Bern and a final casting last Saturday in Geneva. "There was a huge turn-up with over 170 hopefuls in Geneva alone," organiser Gabriela Buchs explained. "The contestants are always very eager and energetic and it’s a thrill to work with them! We are also very excited about our Boys, as there is a lot of great potential this year." We asked Gabriela if she had any advice to applicants this year: "If you are motivated and energetic, then give it a go…… wish it, dream it, do it!"